A user-configurable steering column is made from steering column-mounted switches, each of which is coupled to a computer, which is also coupled to various different driver circuits, each of which is configured to control the operation of a corresponding vehicle accessory device, such as head lamps, a wiper motor or the vehicle's cruise control. A tactile-sensitive display device located in either a head unit, smartphone inside the vehicle, or in a dedicated, dash board-mounted device, provides a menu of assignable switches and user-controllable devices, or it displays icons representing the switches and accessories. A driver assigns a switch to a particular accessory by selecting icons. The computer thereafter reads the switches' states and sends corresponding control signals to the drivers for the various devices that were mapped to the switches. Multiple different programmed configurations can be stored in a memory device and selected by a user using the tactile-sensitive display device.
User configurable vehicle steering column stalks
2016-08-09
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | B60K Anordnung oder Einbau von Antriebseinheiten oder von Kraft- bzw. Drehmomentübertragungen in Fahrzeugen , ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES / B60R Fahrzeuge, Fahrzeugausstattung oder Fahrzeugteile, soweit nicht anderweitig vorgesehen , VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR / B60Q ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL , Anordnung von Signal- oder Beleuchtungsvorrichtungen, deren Einbau oder Halterung oder deren Schaltkreise bei Fahrzeugen allgemein / G06F ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING , Elektrische digitale Datenverarbeitung |